Deals Deals Deals

What a week! I've been kind a busy with something going on almost every evening this last week, thus causing my lack of posts.
One of the coolest things that I was able to do was go with Christina and Jeri to a big kids stuff sale at the county fairgrounds. This sale is kind of like a big yard sale were people rent out booths and sale their kids stuff. This was the second time I've gone and again I wasn't disappointed. I spent about 75 bucks and got Nina an entire winter wardrobe including pajamas. I also finished off buying Sophie and Ben the rest of their winter clothes too. My best buys were a bunch of Carter's footie pajamas for Nina that were only 75cents each and a great LL Bean 2 piece snow suit for 8 dollars that was also for Nina. I definitely had the best luck finding 18 month clothes, but the stuff I found for Sophie and Ben was just enough to supplement what we already had and now I don't have to pay retail for any winter clothes this year. Yay!! I just love finding good deals. I was so happy every time I found a "dollar for each item" bin full of one of my kids size clothes or a 2 piece outfit for Nina for only a dollar. I was so annoyed every time I found a cute pair of 4T jeans for Ben only to look down and see a hole in the knee or when I saw an adorable sweater for Nina and looked at the crazy 12 dollar price sticker on it. Can you believe someone would try to sell something for 12 dollars at a yard sale?! So it was a lot of searching and picking through rack after rack, but I did it and now feel a nice sense of accomplishment. Isn't it funny how that is - I guess it fulfilled some kind of hunting and gathering instinct I didn't even know I had. :)

It was also so fun to chat with many friends who I ran into at the sale and swap good buys and outrageous price stories. I think Christina was the best at getting good deals and talking people down - I was impressed! I also got to share a lovely (but not necessarily healthy) lunch of french fries and soda with Jeri and chat. It was a fun morning and I'm so glad I got to share it with good friends. It hasn't gotten quite cold enough to do the actual closet switch overs to winter clothes, but now I'm prepared and that makes me happy.

Burgers, Hairspray, and Games

Adrian and I really have been going out on quite a few dates lately and it has been so fun!! We've worked out a babysitting trade with friends (who are also neighbors, which makes it so convenient) so that we get to go out once a month and then one of us goes over and watches their kids once a month while they go out. It's just awesome and last night we went out to dinner and a movie! We made it kind of a 50's/60's sort of night and went to a burger diner and the movie Hairspray. We were good though, well kind of, and got small burgers (this place makes a 1/2 lb and 1 lb burger - that's just gross!) and side salads. We're both trying to make better food choices and it's always best when we decide beforehand that we are not going to buy onion rings or shakes, cause when you start looking at that menu and see all the glorious shake and malt flavors (like ginger bread cookie dough!!) it just goes downhill fast! It was fun as we ate to quiz each other with the Trivial Pursuit game cards they have out on the tables at this diner.

The movie was so cute! I really liked it! John Travolta doing that Baltimore accent was downright hilarious and the dance between him and Christopher Walkin was classic!! I also really thought Tracy had an amazing voice. That opening song, I think it's entitled "Good Morning Baltimore" gave me the chills because her voice so strong, but cheerful at the same time. Oh and that kid from HS Musical did amazing too. Fun fun times!

The kids did great being babysat, but as always we put Nina to bed before we left. Someday I need to try to have someone else put her to bed again, but I'm still so worried about her crying and crying... It's really hard for me to have fun out when I think our sweet Nina is sad. I still have major guilt from that time she cried for almost 4 hours with a babysitter months ago (when we went out for Adrian's birthday). Anywho, after the movie Adrian dropped me off for the tail end of a game night for my dear friend Julia who's having a birthday soon. Happy happy birthday Julia!! It was tons of fun!! I was introduced to a game called Wackee Six and wow is that an intense, but FUN, game!! So last night was just a great night out on the town and I feel so refreshed even though I stayed up so late!

SCATTERGORIES

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Copy and paste into a new post.

*Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...

*They have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name? Jenni

4 letter word: Jerk

Vehicle: Jeep

TV Show: Jeopardy

City: Jacksonville

Boy Name: Jeremy

Girl Name: Jezebel

Alcoholic drink: Jim Bean

Occupation: Jailer (?? That was a hard one. Can you tell I'm not so good at this game?!! :))

Something you wear: Jewelry

Celebrity: Jesse James (Isn't there a biker guy with that name married to Sandra Bullock?? Well that and I think you can still count the other Jesse James as a celebrity of sorts right? So yay, my first double points!!)

Food: Jack in the Box

Something found in a bathroom: J&A (On our monogrammed towels - ha! Not really (I don't have any such towels), but I couldn't come up with anything:))

Reason for Being Late: "Jenni just rolls like that." (Umm... do I get double points for that??)

Cartoon Character: Jessica Rabbit

Something You Shout: Jimminey Crickets!!

That was fun to do - thanks Julia, Mendy and Christie, for the idea!! :)

Long Long Story About Our Snack Day at Ben's Preschool (but oh, is it good to vent)

Snack, snack, snack. I'm going to tell you the odyssey that was my preschool snack day experience.

So, about 2 weeks ago I found out that it was going to be our turn for snack day first at Ben's preschool. Adrian had gone to the little parent orientation night (it was the night of the Eclipse book club and I had already been to 2 preschool orientation nights and pretty much knew or thought I knew all about Ben's preschool - so I thought it would be good for Adrian to go and find out more about the preschool experience and he was all into it...). He came home and told me we had snack on Mon. the 17th and that it was all the same types of food as when Sophie was in the class 4 years ago. So I plan out our monthly menu, do my huge shopping trip to Costco and the grocery store and purchased a big jug of apple juice and 20 little packages of Justice League graham cracker snacks. Little packages of non-peanut containing snack foods were big hits at this preschool 4 years ago when Sophie was at the preschool. Of course as always at the grocery store I was asked by an annoyed checker if I was feeding an army, "No, I just buy my groceries monthly..." I realize I'm never going to be a normal shopper to anyone around here. But I've posted about that before... So later that night after the big shopping trip I say, hey Adrian don't you think it's cute that I found little Superman graham crackers for Ben's snack. Ben calls himself "Super Ben" sometimes which we find very endearing. :) Adrian looks at all the little snack packages and says "Remember I told you they don't like individual snack packages at his preschool - it's too hard for them to open all the little packages." I told Adrian, that he didn't tell me anything about that at all and that 4 years ago they loved little individual packages. I remember the little packages of Teddy Grahams and marshmallows being a big hit. Well, he then said that they probably wouldn't mind and that he thought they were great...

On to drop in day at Ben's preschool. The week before our snack day... Ben had a great time at drop in day playing with the other little kids in his class and as we go to leave they remind me that I have snack on Monday. I tell them I have it all ready.

Cut to 1-hour day at Ben's preschool. This is 3 days before our snack day. Again Ben had a fabulous time - read post below - and as we are leaving again they remind me that I have snack on Monday and they want to know just what I'm bringing. I say oh, I have little graham cracker snacks and a jug of apple juice. Silence falls over the preschool room. A couple of moms look over at me and the Ms. J (Ben's teacher) takes a few moments to reply. Uncomfortable. They really meant the no little package thing at parent orientation night. Snack rules have changed... I quickly say, "Oh, but I think I'll bring in a box of graham crackers instead and maybe yogurts. Does that sound good?" Yes, that brought a smile to his teachers face and she was very pleased that I had taken the not to subtle hint that small individual snack packages are totally taboo. I think I missed quite a lot at parent night. So when Adrian gets home from work I tell him about the crazy snack plans exchange I had with Ben's teacher and this is how it went:

adrian: "Yeah, they were quite adamant that no one bring in individual snack packages."

Me: "Adrian! Why did you tell me you thought they would be okay with it then?? You said you didn't think they would mind."

Adrian: "I was just trying to be nice, you seemed so excited about the little Justice League graham cracker snacks."

So at that point I hadn't made it to the store to buy a box of graham crackers or yogurts and the next day (Saturday) was Six Flags day for Adrian's company and we all had a fabulous time at the amusement park all day. Sophie and Ben especially loved the spinning raft ride. Sophie went on it 3 times! And Nina loved the day spent in the stroller, outside with lots of people to look at. Then there was great free food through out the park and all the rides had short lines because it was just Adrian's company there that day. It was fun!

Back to snack... At 8pm on Saturday as we are heading home I say, "Oh, we need to stop by a grocery store or Target or something and buy the snack for Ben's preschool." So off we go with the children all in a state of comatose from a full day of walking and amusement park fun to Target. I just run in and get a box of graham cracker sticks and 3 packages of Trix yogurts cups (apparently, as Adrian explained to me, they are fine with taking individual tops off yogurt cups but not opening individual packages of snacks - there is a difference there, that I don't quite see, but is completely intolerable). We then head home and in the car I show Adrian what I had bought and he approved thinking that from his parent orientation night experience that I had purchased an acceptable snack.

Sunday... I am getting ready for church upstairs after we all had a laid back morning in our pjs, this is probably around 11:30am. I yell down to Adrian - "Hey could you get the kids lunch?" Adrian says yeah sure...

After church... I go to start dinner, open the fridge.... One of the Trix yogurt packages has been opened and there are 4 little individual cups missing!!!!! AHHHH!!!! I had bought a total of 18 little individual cups. There are 17 children in Ben's preschool class and we now have 14 yogurt cups. How could this be?? "Adrian did one of the kids eat Ben's yogurts for preschool??" (I shout this so that he will hear where ever he is in the house.) He calls down from upstairs "Oh, yeah that's what I gave the kids for lunch." What??? What??? Why had he done this thing??!

"Adrian", I begin trying to keep my cool, "remember how we went all the way to Target last night after spending a long, fun, but exhausting day at Six Flags... Do you remember that I needed to buy a snack for Ben's preschool class because the previous snack I bought wouldn't work??? Do you remember how you tried to make me feel better about the little graham cracker snacks I bought and didn't tell be they totally prohibit individual snack packages? Do you remember this is why I bought a box of graham crackers and 3, 6-pack packages of Trix yogurts last night?? Do you remember this chain of events Adrian?? Why, why did you feed 4 of the 18 yogurts to our children for lunch?? Why??"

Yep, Adrian had no idea why he had done this. It is something I do not understand, but it is what it is and it was then that I truly realized I must be the one to go to every parent night in the future... I immediately start scouring our house for something I can take with the graham crackers and come up with the small apples that Sophie takes in her lunches. I would slice them up in the morning and put them in a bag and surely that would be a suitable snack for preschool.

Cut to the morning of our snack day. It's 8:50am (preschool starts at 9am), I still have not managed to slice up the apples. I have the cutting board and apple slicer out. I've washed the apples, but the stupid little stickers on the apples are taking much longer to peel off because the stickers are wet, (note to self, peel off apple stickers before washing them). I frantically work on the stickers, but time is up. I just couldn't get them all cut up in time. I put the jug of juice and the graham cracker sticks in a bag and grab everyone and head out the door.

On the drive over, I had a sinking feeling that at that parent night when they said box of graham crackers they probably mentioned "graham crackers and yogurt" or "graham crackers and grapes" and probably weren't thinking that the graham crackers would be by themselves. I really think this suspicion was right, because when I handed the snack to Ben's teacher she looked in the empty bag after taking out the apple juice and crackers... It was just one of those momentary unstoppable reactions looking for the other part of the snack and I knew that I was "cheap-O snack mom" at that point. I quickly throw Adrian under the bus (of course) and say "I was going to bring yogurts too, but my husband accidentally fed them to our kids yesterday... Sorry it's just the juice and graham crackers." :) His teacher smiled politely and said that the snack was fine and I kissed Ben goodbye and left quickly. Yep. Uncomfortable. As soon as I got to the car I called up Adrian and told him he was in big trouble! I had to be mad at someone that I didn't get around to cutting up the apples, right?!

It's over and I am now aware of what a "good snack" is for Ben's preschool, but it was quite the learning process. And now that I've posted about it, I feel so much better! It's like therapy! I must also add that Adrian and I are all good and on speaking terms and everything. He still deserves major brownie points from pulling off my bday surprise and being a good hubby on a consistent basis. Still love ya, honey!

But, as a side note I now have 20 Justice League graham cracker snacks and about 12 Trix yogurts at this point so if anyone has a hungry toddler send them my way... :)

Our Preschooler

Ben had his first day of preschool today! That is, his first day of 3 year old preschool. (He was in a little 2 year old class last year.) But this is the real thing: required potty-training, snack schedules, field trips... the whole preschool shabang. He's been so excited for preschool to start and was over joyed to wear his new 1st day of preschool outfit and take his Superman gift bag to school. They use gift bags instead of backpacks in his class for taking home things - it's actually really smart cause they hold a lot more and you don't worry if undried paintings smear onto a gift bag. Anywho, Adrian and I dropped him off and he was a little shy at first, but he put his bag in his cubby and wasn't phased at all when we kissed him goodbye. When I went to pick him up an hour later (they make the 1st day short to ease them into it) he was happily sitting at the snack table eating a popsicle. And he was not leaving until he finished that popsicle. The other kids were dropping uneaten popsicles in the trash right and left to run to their parents as soon as they arrived, but Ben just waved to me and continued eating... Yeah, we were the last to go!:)

During the car ride home he told me about playing with playdough and playing with his "girlfriends"! Boys are totally outnumbered in his class - I think its 6 boys to 11 girls. I love that he calls them his girlfriends though! Already the ladies man. He kept his star name tag sticker on almost all day and was so excited to tell Sophie all about preschool as soon as we picked her up and Adrian also as soon as he came home from work. So ends up we have a happy preschooler.

My 30th Birthday

So yesterday was the best birthday ever! From my perspective it was turning out to be a quiet birthday with a lovely family party (with a delicious Cold Stone ice cream cake and cards and presents from the kids and Adrian) and then a hot date with Adrian to a fancy French restaurant. Cami came over to watch the kids for us (big kids slept in the tent downstairs and we put Nina to bed before we left upstairs) at 7:30 so we could make it to the restaurant for our late 8pm dinner reservation. Well, the food at this quaint French country cuisine restaurant was amazing!! I have never had any dinner to compare with how darn good it was. I had the fillet mignon (it's my b-day right) and was actually really full after that. Adrian started talking about how he was just too full and maybe we could have dessert later at home -we had more of that delicious ice cream cake in the freezer... But I was like, no way I'm having some fancy chocolate mousse at this fancy French restaurant and I'll have some ice cream cake tomorrow... :) Then he was checking his watch and drove like a crazy man home (I was saying, "Man Adrian, we don't have to rush, we're just gonna go home and watch TV."). These are all things that I am remembering in retrospect, though, at the time I never suspected a thing. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

So anywho, after eating the longest and most fantastic dinner ever we got home and I walked in the door and got the shock of my life. My dining room was full of my fabulous friends shouting surprise and happy birthday!! I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I was completely floored... It was just so wonderful! Who would have thought a bunch of wonderful ladies would come over and stick around till 10:30pm for a surprise party! I felt so bad for taking so long at the restaurant and stuffing myself with the chocolate mousse... There were balloons and a happy birthday sign and a full spread on the dining room with all of my extra-special favorites - a chocolate fountain, white dipping chocolate, strawberries, those wonderful 2-bite brownies, pretzels and more and more... It was amazing! I felt so loved and surprised and overjoyed.

Then it was oh so fun to sit and chat. I am so happy that I have such a wonderful and supportive group of friends and might I add hilarious!! My jaw hurt from smiling and my stomach hurt from laughing just from sitting and talking with these ladies - which I think is a wonderful result. :) And then I even got presents, which just didn't seem right cause the biggest present was the wonderful surprise and them just being there. So thank you so much to the wonderful friends and my sweet husband who made my 30th so GREAT!! You made it so special and I will always remember it. It's making me all misty just thinking about it... What a great day!

I'm 30.

So I'm 30 now. And I'm not sure if I like it or not yet... I guess I thought I'd just be hanging out in my twenties forever. The 20's were a great decade for me. I got married (well 2 months before entering my twenties, but I think that counts), was in college, had my children and learned all about this crazy thing called motherhood. It's hard to say goodbye to a decade that was so full of growth and happy times. I've been told the 30's are the same way - growth and happiness and all and you understand who you are more... So hello 30! Hope the next 10 years are as good to me as the last 10 were.

Also I think I'll share a little of the movie-making fun we were having just a few minutes ago on Adrian's Mac. Thanks guys! You've made this a great bday for me!